JADAR

★★★☆☆

Remix Manchester join the revolution and create a future city at Factory International’s free installation: Those Who Hold Up The Sky from BRiGHTBLACK X Fusion Factory.

The press view begins with speeches from John McGrath, Artistic Director & Chief Executive of Factory International, Simon Wilkinson and Myra Appannah of BRiGHTBLACK, and two members of Fusion Factory.

Fusion Factory is a creative collective made up of Greater Manchester “residents turned co-creators”, who voted to work with artist collective BRiGHTBLACK to collaborate on this project. Dressed in spray painted white boiler suits, they open the event by celebrating all they have achieved together in this project. They inform us that we were about to witness the first-ever public showing of Those Who Hold Up the Sky and highlight the collaborative and expansive nature of the installation, bringing together artists and community members of all experience levels, united through creation. The piece stands as a powerful testament to what “not so ordinary people”, as Myra Appanah puts it, can create when they come together.

The company members take their places upstairs within the installation, and it is announced that we can now join them in the North Warehouse. As we ascend the staircase, there’s a sense of anticipation, though the presence of builders and general assembling another exhibition nearby suggests the space is still in progress. I suppose this cannot be helped with a venue as fast moving as Factory International. At the top of the stairs, the entrance isn’t immediately obvious, creating a brief moment of uncertainty before we find our way inside.

Upon entering the warehouse, we are welcomed by Chris Yianni, a member of Fusion Factory, who introduces us to the exhibition with an inspiring message: “We’re part of the revolution—we need to be part of the change and rebuild the city.” Yianni references the unique story of the Reno Club as a key source of inspiration for the installation. This infamous funk and soul nightclub of the 1970s, which closed in 1986 and was later demolished, was rediscovered in 2017 when it was found that the premises had not been fully knocked down.

Turning the corner, we step into the exhibit, which is breathtaking. Glowing, fluffy clouds are suspended from the ceiling, casting a celestial light over the space—lighting designer Rachel Astall and scenic artist Rebecca Archer excel at transforming the vast warehouse into a radiant, dreamlike sanctuary. Those Who Hold Up The Sky is not only visually stunning, but also an inviting place to explore and spend time in.

At its heart, a raised platform houses a gaming station, where televisions and gaming chairs create a striking focal point. Surrounding this, three interactive creation stations allow visitors to shape the cityscape game in real time—a sculpting area for crafting animated dancers in the 3D Reno Club, a graffiti area for digital street art, and a newscast recording space.

I spent most of my time in the sculpting area, led by Fusion Factory member Bernard Leach. The task was to sculpt a dancer’s head out of plasticine, which would then be scanned and incorporated into the virtual space city, bringing the Reno Club to life in 3D. Bernard was an incredibly warm and engaging presence, expertly managing the 3D scanner while keeping the atmosphere light and guiding us through the process. Having some visual references might have helped within this area, as many people joining the table weren’t fully aware of the size criteria required for the scanning to work effectively. Nonetheless, it was truly exciting to see my creation appear on the screen, even though, as I’ll explain, I didn’t get to see it incorporated within the virtual world itself.

Exploring the city within the game was thrilling as I navigated the space with an Xbox controller, searching for hidden details. We were each given a coin to spend, and I chose to use mine at a mystical vending machine inside an ice cream shop. This triggered a dramatic lightning storm circling a nearby building. Following the storm, guided by BRiGHTBLACK’s Myra Appannah, I entered what appeared to be a pizza shop and discovered an underground club within.

Unfortunately, just as I was about to reach the most anticipated part—seeing our creations in the game—my avatar became stuck, preventing me from progressing further. Not wanting to hold up the queue, I had to leave the experience there, which was a bit disappointing. My audio also wasn’t working, which I’m sure left out a large part of the experience for me.

The virtual city world itself was full of bright lights and colours, and had an eerie, dreamlike quality, adding to the sense of mystery and unknown. The lighting and spatial design in real life were particularly strong, seamlessly blending the virtual and real installation worlds into a cohesive and immersive experience.

While some technical hiccups are to be expected in a project of this scale, the installation’s striking visuals, uplifting community spirit, and connected artistic vision came together as an absorbing and stimulating event. It was really exciting to be able to connect with the Fusion Factory team as well and learn about their collaboration with BRiGHTBLACK. However, with more time to settle into the space, the installation has the potential to evolve even further, becoming a more seamless experience.

Those Who Hold Up the Sky runs at Aviva Studios (North Warehouse) until March 2.

Photo: Chris Payne